1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of forming a nanoshell on a polymeric material, in particular a biodegradable polymeric material.
2. Description of Related Art
Nanoshell technology has attracted much attention because of the potential it offers in therapeutics with or without a therapeutic substance. For example, nanoshells have been demonstrated to absorb and convert light into heat, which can be used to offer local delivery of a drug or local treatment of an injury. Methods of forming nanoshells have been focused on forming them on a core material such as nanoparticulate inorganic ceramics or polymers such as polystyrene. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,986 is directed to a method of forming metal nanoshells upon a core substrate. The core substrate can be particles of silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene, gold sulfide, macromolecules such as dendrimers, and semiconductors such as Cd Se, Cd S, or GaAs. The particles can further have polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), latex, nylon, Teflon, acrylic, Kevlar, epoxy, glasses (col. 4, line 39 to col. 5, line 33). These core substrates, particularly those polymeric core materials, are generally non-degradable materials.
Therefore, there is a need for forming nanoshells upon a core material which is degradable.
The embodiments described below address the above-identified problems.